ASHTABULA — An Ashtabula man was sentenced to
a minimum 20 years in prison after he pleaded guilty Friday to federal drug
charges, according to Ashtabula County Sheriff’s Department detectives.
Robert Turner faced a possible life sentence for
his role in the distribution of 49 kilos of cocaine brought into county
earlier this year, said Sheriff’s Detective Lt. Van Robison. Turner’s age is
unknown.
Turner is the last of five people charged and
sentenced in connection with the cocaine connection, Robison said.
“This certainly has not cleaned up the county,
but we are making a dent with these arrests,’ he said.
More arrests are pending, Robison said.
Turner, who was charged in a three-count
indictment alleging distribution of crack cocaine, was considered a key
component in a drug operation with roots in Mexico, said Sheriff’s Detective
Joe Niemi, who helped spearhead the investigation.
“He was the main distributor here,” Niemi said.
An undercover narcotics purchase in Ashtabula
several months ago helped deputies trace the illegal drugs — with the help
of the FBI and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration — to a source that
originated in Mexico but stretched through Los Angeles, Indianapolis,
Cincinnati and Maple Heights before arriving in Ashtabula County, Robison
said.
Deputies estimate that more than $1 million left
Ashtabula County from the sale of the 49 kilos over a period of several
months. Many of the customers traveled from great distances to buy the
product, Niemi said.
The quantity of drug qualified Turner for
federal charges, which are more stringent than state law, Robison said.
“I am pleased to charge these people through the
federal system,” he said.
Turner was arrested by deputies and federal
agents early on the morning of July 10 at an Ashtabula residence. The
investigation — assisted by the FBI, DEA and Trumbull-Ashtabula Group
Narcotics task force — began months ago, Robison said.
The help of the federal agencies was invaluable
to the investigation, Niemi said. “The resources of the federal
government were phenomenal,” he said.
Much of Ashtabula County’s serious crimes are
somehow linked to illegal drugs, Robison said. “Most of our
burglaries, robberies and recent homicide investigation have had some form
of drug involved,” he said.
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